DataTable

A data-driven table for asset browsers, log views, scene outliners, and any other surface that lists structured rows. Built around a CSS grid under role="grid" so columns line up between the sticky header and individual rows — including virtualized ones. Supports sortable columns, single or multi-row selection, density, sticky-left columns, column resizing, a loading state, an empty state, and row virtualization that auto-engages above 100 rows.

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Import

import { DataTable } from 'entangle-ui';
import type {
  DataTableColumn,
  DataTableSortState,
  DataTableSelectionState,
} from 'entangle-ui';

Usage

Pass rows, columns, and a rowKey. The table reads each cell with the column’s accessor (string key or function) and renders it through the column’s optional cell renderer.

interface User {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  email: string;
  role: string;
}

const columns: DataTableColumn<User>[] = [
  { id: 'name', header: 'Name', accessor: 'name', sortable: true },
  { id: 'email', header: 'Email', accessor: 'email' },
  { id: 'role', header: 'Role', accessor: 'role' },
];

<DataTable<User>
  rows={users}
  columns={columns}
  rowKey="id"
  aria-label="Users"
/>;

rowKey is required and must produce a stable string for every row — it is used as the React key, the selection identifier, and the virtualization key.

Columns

A DataTableColumn<R> describes one column:

const columns: DataTableColumn<User>[] = [
  {
    id: 'name',
    header: 'Name',
    accessor: 'name', // key into the row
    sortable: true,
    minWidth: 200,
  },
  {
    id: 'status',
    header: 'Status',
    accessor: 'status',
    width: 120, // fixed track
    cell: ({ value }) => <StatusBadge status={value} />,
  },
  {
    id: 'size',
    header: 'Size (MB)',
    accessor: 'size',
    align: 'right',
  },
];

Field	Purpose
id	Required stable identifier.
header	Header content (string or any node).
accessor	keyof R or (row) => unknown — how to read the cell value.
cell	Custom renderer for the cell. Receives { value, row, rowIndex, column }.
width	Fixed track width. Number → px, string → CSS dimension.
minWidth	Minimum width. Used both as the grid floor and the resize floor.
maxWidth	Maximum width when resizing.
sortable	Enables the header click + sort cycle.
sortComparator	Custom comparator. Defaults handle string, number, boolean, Date.
align	left / center / right. Defaults to left.
sticky	Pins the column to the left edge while scrolling.
disableResize	Locks this column even when resizableColumns is on.

Sorting

Set sortable: true on each sortable column. Clicking the header cycles through asc → desc → none. The default comparator handles strings (locale-aware), numbers, booleans, and Date instances; null and undefined are pushed to the end.

Sortable columns

<DataTable
  rows={rows}
  columns={columns}
  rowKey="id"
  defaultSort={{ columnId: 'name', direction: 'asc' }}
/>

Use controlled mode for server-side sorting — pass sort, react in onSortChange, and set manualSort so the table renders the rows as supplied without re-sorting them client-side:

const [sort, setSort] = useState<DataTableSortState>({
  columnId: 'name',
  direction: 'asc',
});

<DataTable
  rows={rowsFromServer}
  columns={columns}
  rowKey="id"
  sort={sort}
  onSortChange={setSort}
  manualSort
/>;

Selection

Two modes: single (radio-style, one row at a time) or multiple (checkbox column with a select-all header).

Multiple selection

const [selection, setSelection] = useState<DataTableSelectionState>([]);

<DataTable
  rows={rows}
  columns={columns}
  rowKey="id"
  selectionMode="multiple"
  selection={selection}
  onSelectionChange={setSelection}
/>;

Single-mode selection adds no checkbox column — instead, clicking a row toggles its selection and Enter activates it:

Single selection

Use isRowSelectable={(row) => row.status !== 'archived'} to disable selection per row. The select-all header reflects the resulting subset.

defaultSelection enables uncontrolled mode; omit selection / onSelectionChange and the table tracks state internally.

Range selection

In multiple mode the table tracks the last clicked row as a selection anchor. Hold Shift while clicking another row’s checkbox to toggle every row between the anchor and the target — selecting them when the target was unselected, deselecting them when it was already selected. Disabled rows (isRowSelectable returns false) are skipped over.

Shift + Space does the same with the keyboard once a row is focused. No prop to enable it — range selection is on by default for multi-select tables.

Density

Three densities cover most table surfaces.

Densities

Density	Row height	Use for
comfortable	40 px	Default. Wide layouts, mixed content.
compact	32 px	Dense lists, secondary tables.
dense	24 px	Logs, telemetry, anything with > 100 rows.

<DataTable density="compact" rows={rows} columns={columns} rowKey="id" />

Sticky columns

Pin a column to the left edge by setting sticky: true on its definition. The sticky shadow appears as the user scrolls horizontally.

Sticky first column

const columns: DataTableColumn<User>[] = [
  { id: 'name', header: 'Name', accessor: 'name', sticky: true, width: 200 },
  ...
];

The header is sticky by default (stickyHeader: true).

Column resizing

Set resizableColumns to enable a drag handle on the right edge of each header cell. Per-column minWidth / maxWidth clamp the drag; disableResize: true opts an individual column out.

Resizable columns

<DataTable
  rows={rows}
  columns={columns}
  rowKey="id"
  resizableColumns
  onColumnResize={(columnId, width) => persistWidth(columnId, width)}
/>

Loading

Render skeleton rows while the consumer is fetching.

Loading

<DataTable
  rows={[]}
  columns={columns}
  rowKey="id"
  loading
  loadingRowCount={6}
/>

Empty state

When rows.length === 0 and loading is false, the table renders the emptyState slot — pass a string or any node.

Empty state

<DataTable
  rows={[]}
  columns={columns}
  rowKey="id"
  emptyState="No assets yet — drag a file to import."
/>

Virtualization

virtualized="auto" (the default) enables row virtualization once the data set exceeds virtualizationThreshold (100 rows by default). The grid layout is unchanged, so column widths and the sticky header line up exactly the same as in non-virtualized mode.

Virtualized (2,000 rows)

<DataTable rows={largeList} columns={columns} rowKey="id" height={480} />

Force virtualization with virtualized={true}, or disable it entirely (useful for tests or print views) with virtualized={false}. Tune the kept-mounted off-screen rows with overscan (default 8).

Virtualization requires a fixed scroll-container height — pass a number (px) or any CSS dimension.

Custom row renderer

Wrap the default cells in your own row element with renderRow. The render function receives { row, rowIndex, selected } and the pre-built cells node — return whatever wrapper you need.

<DataTable
  rows={rows}
  columns={columns}
  rowKey="id"
  renderRow={({ row, selected }, cells) => (
    <Link href={`/assets/${row.id}`} className={selected ? 'is-selected' : ''}>
      {cells}
    </Link>
  )}
/>

Keyboard navigation

The table is a single focusable region (tabIndex={0}) with a WAI-ARIA grid layout. Once focused:

Key	Action
ArrowUp / ArrowDown	Move row focus by one.
Home / End	Jump to the first / last row.
PageUp / PageDown	Jump 10 rows at a time.
Space	Toggle the focused row (multi-select only).
Enter	Activate the focused row (and toggle in single-select).

Sortable headers are individually focusable and respond to Enter / Space.

Accessibility

• Root element renders as role="grid" with aria-rowcount, aria-colcount, and aria-multiselectable set accordingly.
• Each header cell is role="columnheader"; sortable headers expose aria-sort (ascending / descending / none).
• Body rows are role="row" with aria-rowindex; cells are role="gridcell".
• Selected rows have aria-selected="true" when selectionMode is on.
• Skeleton rows during loading are aria-hidden; the surrounding container is responsible for announcing loading state.
• Resize handles are role="separator" with aria-orientation="vertical" and a per-column aria-label.

API Reference

<DataTable>

Prop	Type	Default	Description
rows	readonly R[]	—	Row data.
columns	readonly DataTableColumn<R>[]	—	Column definitions.
rowKey	keyof R | ((row: R, rowIndex: number) => string)	—	How to derive a stable key for each row. Required for selection and virtualization stability.
density	'comfortable' | 'compact' | 'dense'	'comfortable'	Visual density. Affects row height and cell padding.
stickyHeader	boolean	true	Whether the header sticks to the top while scrolling.
sort	DataTableSortState | null	—	Controlled sort state. `{ columnId, direction }`.
defaultSort	DataTableSortState | null	—	Default sort state for uncontrolled mode.
onSortChange	(state: DataTableSortState) => void	—	Called when the user changes the sort.
manualSort	boolean	false	When true, the consumer fully owns sorting — the table renders rows as-is. Useful for server-side sorting.
selectionMode	'single' | 'multiple' | false	false	Selection behavior.
selection	string[]	—	Controlled selection (array of row keys).
defaultSelection	string[]	—	Default selection for uncontrolled mode.
onSelectionChange	(next: string[]) => void	—	Called when selection changes.
isRowSelectable	(row: R, rowIndex: number) => boolean	—	Disable selection of a specific row.
onRowClick	(row: R, rowIndex: number, event: MouseEvent) => void	—	Row click handler. Independent of selection.
onRowActivate	(row: R, rowIndex: number) => void	—	Row activation (Enter key or double click).
renderRow	(info: { row; rowIndex; selected }, cells: ReactNode) => ReactNode	—	Custom row renderer. Receives the default cells; the consumer wraps them.
emptyState	ReactNode	—	Empty state slot or text. Rendered when `rows.length === 0`.
loading	boolean	false	Loading flag — renders skeleton rows.
loadingRowCount	number	5	Number of skeleton rows shown while loading.
virtualized	boolean | 'auto'	'auto'	Virtualization mode. `'auto'` enables it once `rows.length` exceeds `virtualizationThreshold`.
virtualizationThreshold	number	100	Threshold above which `'auto'` mode flips on.
estimatedRowHeight	number	—	Estimated row height in px. Defaults to a density-dependent value.
overscan	number	8	Number of off-screen rows kept mounted.
height	number | string	480	Total scroll container height. Required when virtualized.
maxHeight	number | string	—	Maximum height before scroll engages (non-virtualized mode).
resizableColumns	boolean	false	Enable drag-to-resize on the right edge of each header.
onColumnResize	(columnId: string, width: number) => void	—	Called when a column is resized.
aria-label	string	—	Optional aria-label for the grid.
aria-labelledby	string	—	Optional aria-labelledby for the grid.

DataTableColumn<R>

Prop	Type	Default	Description
id	string	—	Stable column identifier. Required.
header	ReactNode	—	Header content (string or any node).
accessor	keyof R | ((row: R, rowIndex: number) => unknown)	—	How to read the cell value from a row. When omitted, `id` is used as a key into the row.
cell	(info: { value; row; rowIndex; column }) => ReactNode	—	Cell renderer. When omitted, the value is stringified (empty for null/undefined).
width	number | string	—	Fixed column width. Number → px, string → CSS dimension.
minWidth	number	—	Minimum column width in px (used for resizing and as the grid floor).
maxWidth	number	—	Maximum column width in px (used for resizing).
sortable	boolean	—	When true, header click toggles sort on this column.
sortComparator	(a, b, rowA, rowB) => number	—	Custom comparator. Default handles strings, numbers, booleans, Date; null/undefined ordered last.
align	'left' | 'center' | 'right'	'left'	Cell horizontal alignment.
sticky	boolean	—	When true, this column sticks to the left edge while scrolling.
ariaHidden	boolean	—	When true, the column header is not focusable for keyboard users.
disableResize	boolean	—	When true, this column cannot be resized even if `resizableColumns` is on.